Key takeaways from Mets' end-of-season press conference

The Manager

Manager Carlos Mendoza will be back in 2026, but the rest of the coaching staff will be evaluated in the coming weeks.

When asked why Mendoza is the right man for the job, Stearns had this to say: "I still believe he's a very good manager and I think he's going to demonstrate that."

Adding a frontline starter

Stearns cited developing pitchers for sustainable success but did not rule out going after a big starter this winter.

"I think we have to be open to everything........Going into the offseason we're not going to take anything off the table."

Run Prevention

Stearns kept harping on run prevention as a main reason why the Mets were so disappointing in 2025. The executive said their run prevention wasn't good enough and is something that needs to improve next year.

Kodai Senga

Stearns acknowledged that Kodai Senga has had two straight inconsistent years. Stearns said it'd be "foolish" to rely on Senga to make 30 starts next season.

Pete Alonso

"I'd love to have Pete back and we will see where the offseason goes," Stearns said.

Alonso announced on Sunday that he will indeed be opting out of his deal in the offseason and will retest free agency this winter.

Edwin Diaz

"Instead of speculating on what Edwin might do, I think we will let him make that decision and then comment."

The Mets closer told reporters on Sunday that he's going to talk with his family before making a decision to opt out of his contract or not.

Rookie starters

The expectation is that Nolan McLean will play a big part in the starting rotation next season. Stearns delivered praise to McLean, Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong for coming up to the majors down the stretch and proving they belong. He expects all three arms to have a role in the big-leagues at some point next year.

On adding a GM

Stearns made it clear that the Mets aren't going to go out and conduct a robust search for a new GM candidate.